Athletes from Britain’s medal-winning Maccabiah Games youth team have described their shock at finding cockroach infestations and live electric wires in the bedrooms of their Israeli accommodation.

The teenagers were due to stay at the Neveh Hadassah youth village, near Netanya, for the duration of the tournament but were relocated to a five-star hotel by Team GB bosses after just 24 hours due to health and safety concerns.

Reflecting on missed opportunities on the pitch, GB’s Open squad donated their training equipment to Israeli cricket towards the end of the Games. Manager Nigel Rothband said: “They were absolutely delighted and it was good to see it put to good use. To see the development of Israeli cricket is fantastic and if this goes some small way to encouraging youngsters to play the sport then this can only be good news.”

Fresh from his match-winning knock that helped South Africa retain the open cricket title, Adam Bacher spoke of his disappointment about the dearth of Jewish players coming through at first-class level.

Bacher, 35, played the last of his 13 Test matches against Zimbabwe four years ago and winding down, he played for two more seasons for Cape Province, playing only one-day and Twenty20 cricket. His last professional game was against his old team in front of 23,000 spectators at the Wanderers.

It was a case of so near, yet so far for Team GB’s Open rugby squad. Widely regarded as the team of the competition, they were beaten by three points by an Australia side they had comfortably beaten in their first match.

It could all have ended so differently as the gold medal match was determined by inches. GB’s Sam Katz missed a penalty kick that bounced off the posts while the Aussies hit the posts with one of theirs and the ball just bounced inside. But for that, GB would have won.

A first football gold for 48 years was the icing on the cake, according to Darryl Lee, GB head of senior football in Israel.

Goals from Laurence Swerner and Adam Lee earned the Over 45 Masters squad a 2-1 victory over Israel in the final to cap off a memorable tournament in which the Open team took silver, the Over 35s bronze and the Ladies finished fourth.

Lee said: “Medals in all four competitions was probably beyond our expectations when we started but when you look at the professional attitude adopted, it was due reward.

An Australian golfer has rewritten the history books by competing in his ninth consecutive Games.

Roy Vandersluis, 62, was not content just to participate; he also won his first ever gold medal — something that has eluded him since 1977.

He was part of the Masters golf team that claimed gold – Australia’s first at the Games – at Caesarea Golf Club, beating America and South Africa.

He shot a final round of 72, the best card of the tournament. He also won silver for his individual score.

Team Great Britain has been reflecting on what must be the most successful Maccabiah Games after the 500-strong delegation returned home with 38 medals.

A total of nine gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze were returned with the delegation bringing home medals in a number of sports ranging from a first for football in more than 40 years to the track and field where every junior athlete collected silverware. JFS pupil Richard Goodman, 16, was crowned the most successful individual athlete after winning two golds and a bronze.

Having won silver in the Open football competition, Danny Caro profiles the GB stars

GOLD (9)

Football: Over 45 Masters

Squash: David Lazarus Individual Masters 45+

Squash: Jack Shtein Individual Masters 50+

Squash: Team Masters 50+

Track & field: Richard Goodman 1,500m

Track & field: Richard Goodman 3,000m

Track & field: Jennifer Simmons 400m hurdles

Triathlon: Michael Bibring Over 50s

Triathlon: Oliver Ziff Junior

SILVER (14)

Cricket: Junior boys

Cycling: Danny Ackerman, Clifford Baker, Michael Bibring, Neil Lerner and Maish Weinstein (Men’s time trial)

Football: Open

Netball: Junior girls